Costco pet insurance coverage is a broad accident-and-illness plan administered by Figo and underwritten by Independence American Insurance Company, sold to Costco members at a 15% discount off Figo’s standard premiums. The base policy pays toward emergency injuries, chronic illness, cancer, surgery, prescription drugs, alternative therapies, and rehabilitation; routine care, exam fees, and extras like lost-pet recovery sit in optional add-ons. Plans are available in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., though new policies are not currently being written in Washington state.
What the Base Plan Covers
The core accident-and-illness policy isn’t limited to a fixed list of conditions. It reimburses a percentage of eligible veterinary costs across the categories below once your deductible is met.
Accidents and emergencies. Broken bones and fractures, animal bites (including bee stings and snakebites), car injuries, bloat and gastric torsion, burns, electrical shocks, foreign-body ingestion, poisoning, cruciate ligament rupture, pancreatitis, and sprains.
Illnesses. Arthritis, diabetes, obesity, kidney disease, urinary problems, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and dental disease. Hereditary and congenital conditions are also included: hip dysplasia, patella luxation, polycystic kidney disease, and progressive retinal atrophy, among others.
Cancer. Lymphoma, melanoma, osteosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, mammary cancer, and lipoma, along with cancer-related diagnostic imaging.
Procedures and diagnostics. Surgery (including radiosurgery), chemotherapy and radiation, blood work, X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds, hospitalization, laboratory work, FDA-approved prescription medications, and pet ambulance transportation. Euthanasia performed for humane reasons is covered.
Alternative and holistic care. Acupuncture, chiropractic treatment, magnet therapy, and other alternative medications are built into the base plan when a veterinarian prescribes or supervises the treatment.
Rehabilitation and mobility. Cryotherapy, heat therapy, laser therapy, underwater treadmill sessions, swimming, gait analysis, range-of-motion exercises, and mobility devices for amputation, arthritis, paralysis, or post-surgical recovery.
Behavior. Aggression and anxiety treatment up to $500 per policy term. Obedience training is excluded.
Pre-existing conditions are generally excluded, but the plan carves out an exception for curable ones: if your pet has been completely symptom-free for 12 months, a previously diagnosed issue like a dermatological problem or undiagnosed vomiting can become eligible again. This exception does not apply to ligament and knee conditions, which the policy treats as incurable.
Optional Add-Ons That Extend Coverage
Figo calls these “Powerups.” They can only be added or dropped within the 30 days before your annual renewal.
- Veterinary Exam Fees. Pays exam, office-call, and specialist fees when your pet is seen for a new illness or injury. It also covers up to $250 per policy term for vet-prescribed food when the food is the sole treatment for a covered illness. Routine and wellness exam fees are not included.
- Extra Care Pack. Advertising and reward money for a lost pet, boarding fees if the owner is hospitalized, $250 toward burial or cremation, $150 if a stolen pet is not recovered within 30 days, up to $10,000 for third-party property damage, and vacation-cancellation reimbursement.
- Wellness Basic. Set reimbursements for routine care: $20 toward a wellness exam, $30 for vaccines, $40 for dental cleaning or spay/neuter, $20 for testing (blood panel, fecal, heartworm, urinalysis), $15 for a health certificate or microchipping, and $10 for deworming.
- Wellness Plus. Higher limits on the same categories: $40 wellness exam, $50 vaccines, $75 dental cleaning or spay/neuter, $45 testing, $30 health certificate or microchipping, and $10 deworming.
Both wellness tiers cover rabies, DHLP, FVRCP, Bordetella, Lyme, parvovirus, canine influenza, and leukemia vaccines, along with flea, tick, and heartworm preventatives, which are grouped under the vaccine benefit.
What the Plan Does Not Cover
Several categories are excluded from the base policy, and knowing them before you enroll matters more than knowing what’s in.
- Pre-existing conditions. Anything that caused symptoms, was diagnosed before enrollment, or appeared during a waiting period. The 12-month cured-condition exception does not apply to ligament and knee conditions.
- Bilateral conditions. Conditions affecting both sides of the body. Ligament and knee conditions are automatically treated as bilateral, so a cruciate tear in one knee before coverage begins also excludes the opposite knee.
- Routine and preventive care. Vaccinations, wellness exams, flea and parasite prevention, spaying, neutering, and routine diagnostics, unless you buy a wellness add-on.
- Breeding and reproduction. Pregnancy, whelping, breeding-related procedures, and procedures to determine breeding suitability.
- Dental illness and decay. Only dental injuries caused by an accident are covered in the base plan; disease and decay are not.
- Commercial-use injuries. Injuries or illnesses tied to guarding, law enforcement, personal protection, or racing.
- Deliberate harm or neglect. Injuries caused by the owner, family members, or anyone with custody of the pet, and injuries from organized fighting.
- Repetitive harmful activity. After three separate but similar preventable incidents, such as repeated foreign-body ingestion or motor-vehicle accidents, related future claims become ineligible.
- Species. Only dogs and cats. Horses, exotics, and other animals are not eligible.
- Provider restriction. Treatment is not covered if the attending veterinarian is the policyholder or an immediate family member.
Waiting Periods Before Coverage Starts
Coverage does not kick in the moment you buy the policy. Figo enforces three waiting periods:
- Accidents: 1 day.
- Illnesses: 14 days.
- Orthopedic conditions: 6 months, covering the knee, ligaments, patella, meniscus, hip dysplasia, luxating patella, and intervertebral disc disease (IVDD).
The orthopedic wait can be waived. A veterinarian must perform a full exam within seven days of the policy’s start date, complete Figo’s waiver form, and certify that the pet shows none of 20 listed disqualifying conditions, including arthritis, IVDD, and ligament problems. The signed form and exam records have to reach Figo on the day of the exam, and Figo then has 30 days to approve or deny. Any clinical sign found during the exam will be treated as pre-existing and excluded going forward. The exam itself isn’t reimbursable.
Choosing Your Limits, Deductible, and Reimbursement
You shape the plan by picking three variables:
- Annual coverage limit: $5,000, $10,000, or unlimited.
- Deductible: $100, $250, $500, or $750. Pets under five generally have access to the lowest options; pets ten and older are offered higher ones.
- Reimbursement rate: 70%, 80%, 90%, or 100%.
Two features cut what you pay out of pocket. The deductible drops by $50 for every claims-free policy year until it reaches $0, and filing a claim resets it to the original amount. If a pet suffers a life-threatening injury requiring life-saving treatment, Figo waives the deductible and coinsurance entirely.
Premiums depend on species, breed, age, location, and the plan options you pick. Averages reported across 51 U.S. jurisdictions, assuming a $250 deductible and 90% reimbursement, run about $77 per month for dogs and $46 per month for cats before the Costco discount. One analysis put the post-discount Costco member averages at about $42 per month for dogs and $22 per month for cats. Age moves the number sharply: a French Bulldog insured at six months might cost around $78 per month, while the same coverage for a ten-year-old French Bulldog could run close to $295 per month. Geography matters too, with dog premiums ranging from roughly $33 per month in Arkansas to $74 per month in Maine.
Member Discounts
A Costco membership is required to buy the policy through the Costco channel. Non-members can buy the same Figo plan directly from Figo but won’t get the discount.
- Gold Star and Business members: 15% off the base premium.
- Executive members: 15% off, plus the standard $15 enrollment fee is waived, plus Lost Pet Recovery services through 24PetWatch.
- Multi-pet: 5% off when insuring two or more pets.
- Military: 5% in most states (not available in Florida, New York, Tennessee, or Washington).
- IUPA members: 10% off for International Union of Police Associations members.
Who Can Enroll
Pets must be at least eight weeks old, and there is no upper age limit. A medical review is required at enrollment. For renewals, Figo asks that dogs eight and older and cats ten and older follow their veterinarian’s recommendations for geriatric screening. Premiums rise annually with age and older pets face higher minimum deductibles, but no specific medical conditions are excluded solely because of age. The pre-existing-condition exclusion becomes more consequential the later you enroll, because more conditions have had time to appear.
Cancellation and Refunds
You can cancel at any time by email, phone, or written notice. Cancel within 30 days of the policy’s effective date with no claims submitted and the full premium is refunded. After 30 days, refunds are calculated daily on a pro-rata basis. The 30-day money-back window isn’t available in Florida or New York, and it’s shortened to 15 days in Louisiana, Maine, and Washington. If you file a claim during the initial refund window, only premiums paid after the first month are eligible for a refund.